In 2019, India Today launched an article stating that 80% of the country's 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of trash each day is left untreated and exposed.

Only 60% of the plastic produced is recycled, balance of 9400 Tons of plastic is left unattended in the environment causing land, air, and water pollution. - SBM Plastic Waste Book.

India lacks regulations for scrapping and recycling, mostly done by unorganized segments. The scrap market in India is highly unorganized. Most processes are manual, which raises serious safety and environmental issues.

India generates around 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste and only 30% of that is recycled. - The Economic Times, January 2023.

Alarming, aren’t they? What could be the root of such shocking facts? Check the next section to find out.

To find a solution to a problem, one must look at the problem from its root. We need to find out where the actual problem starts and then we can
proceed with the steps to solve it.

The actual problem starts from the improper ways of disposal of scraps found in households. It may seem very little from a large point of view but it’s all
it takes to cause severe effects on the environment. Now, the question is why the scrap found in households is not disposed of properly.

Due to the development of posh societies or even normal societies that have security regulations. They do not allow local scrap collectors to enter or
make them pass various kinds of security authentication. This leads to the disinterest of collectors and they don’t go to such societies anymore. As a result,
people decide to dispose of the scrap themselves without treating it.

Various types of scrap items that need to be separated before disposing of are mainly paper, plastic, metal, e-waste, tires, hair, etc, which have different
recycling processes. Even if we separate them and decide to dispose of them properly, it will require a lot of time to find the best recycling
alternatives for each of them and in today’s fast-paced world not everyone can afford that.

Also, the items mentioned above are needed to be further divided into sub-categories for the best use of them. Most people are not aware of that, for example,
if a person has good quality plastic that can be recycled a few times and plastic that cannot be recycled at all. If the person is not aware of the types of
recycling process then he can create more problems instead of solving them.

Now we know the problem, let’s look into the impact these problems have on our environment. We’ll discuss the harmful effects of different types of scraps when left untreated or when they’re not disposed of properly further in this section. First, let us understand the overall effects untreated scrap causes.

• Every year, India generates 62 million tonnes of waste, of which 70% are collected, only 12 million are handled, and
  31 million are disposed of in landfills.
  
• These landfills produce carbon dioxide and water vapor, and trace amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen,
  and non-methane organic compounds. These gases lead to climate change and also produce smog if left untreated.

People often argue that how a simple activity of not disposing of waste can lead to hazards, we’re are to answer that. Untreated scrap that ends up
in landfills is much more harmful than we contemplate. Landfills cause fires, pollution, and landslides. It is also a breeding ground for tuberculosis and dengue.
So little things such as scrap do need to be disposed of properly.

Harmful impact caused by:

1. Plastic scraps
   We present you some self-explanatory facts stating the need to process plastic scrap and waste.
   • 56 tonnes of plastic waste were found in Sundarbans after a 2020 cyclone, in just one of the 50 islands.
     This level of plastic pollution is destroying the Royal Bengal tiger’s natural habitat.
   • This Gangetic River dolphin died of starvation due to a plastic bottle cap ring that got caught in its snout.
     The Ganges river network, home to these dolphins forms the second-largest plastic-polluting catchment
     in the world.
   • According to a recent study, plastic makes up almost 75% of the diet of Himalayan brown bears.
     The Himalayas are home to the Himalayan brown bear, whose high-altitude habitat has been affected by
     plastic waste.
2. E-waste
   The consequences of leaving e-waste in landfills are both shocking and alarming.
   • E-waste contaminates soil.
   • Groundwater is contaminated by heavy elements from e-waste that seep through the earth even farther
     than the soil, including lead, lithium, mercury, and barium. These heavy metals eventually find their
     way into lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams once they enter groundwater.
   • When e-waste is disposed of improperly—by dismantling, breaking down, or melting the materials—dust
     particles or toxins—like dioxins—are released into the atmosphere, causing pollution and harm to
     respiratory systems.
3. Paper waste
   We all are well aware of the process of making paper; Deforestation. The more we waste paper, the more damage we cause to
   our environment by cutting down trees. Recycling paper not only preserves trees but is also cost-efficient. Recycled paper notebooks
   are much cheaper than notebooks with fresh pages.

Every big problem starts with just a minor inconvenience, but ignorance allows that minor inconvenience to become a major issue. But we, as common people or households don’t need to find greater solutions for these problems. What we need to do is to dispose of our scrap properly. One might argue what could one household do by just disposing of scrap properly, but they must not forget that all it took to cause harm on such a big scale to the environment was not having scrap collector visit their society. That’s all it took and now our environment is suffering major issues.